By TERICA GINTHER

Special to the News-Times

A special memorial is planned for a furry and beloved resident of an Oak Harbor neighborhood who passed away last month.

Since 2009, more than a dozen families in the Fireside Neighborhood of Oak Harbor had been working together to feed and care for Bow Tie Kitty, a feral tuxedo cat who frequented laundry rooms, porches and driveways for the past 14 years. He was even known to navigate dog and cat doors.

The elusive cat faced difficulties, even in the friendly neighborhood. He survived some of the coldest winters ever recorded on Whidbey Island, including 2021’s single digit freezes. Though he was very resourceful at finding food and shelter inside of homes with cat doors, it was obvious that he had been injured at some point due to his stiff back leg limp, which also happened to give him some cool swagger.

The neighbors had tried unsuccessfully for years to catch and neuter him, or get him to the vet for preventative services, but it wasn’t meant to be.

To the entire neighborhood’s alarm, Bow Tie Kitty went missing for a full eight months in 2019. Messages were exchanged for several months, and neighbors diligently watched their Ring cameras looking for any signs of him. He was feared lost. But, one glorious spring morning, he was spotted again drinking from a bird bath.

Bow Tie Kitty had lived for 14 years in the Fireside Neighborhood by the time he passed away in January of this year.

The neighborhood has worked with the city of Oak Harbor Parks Department to install a memorial in his honor in the Fireside Neighborhood Park. A dedication in Bow Tie Kitty’s honor will be held at 1 p.m on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the park, which is located at 1771 SW Springfield Court. The entire community is encouraged to attend and bring a cash or food donation in Bow Tie Kitty’s honor to be donated to a local feral cat rescue organizer, Dianne Nootenboom.